Friday finishes!

 

This week I finally finished the hearts I made. I tried a different way to sew the first one and messed it up, so just three for now. I use wool for the backs and sew them in reverse, then I cut a slit on the back and turn them right sides back. Then I stitch up the slit and cover it with a wool heart, that I blanket stitch. I kept it simple and made them into bowl fillers.

I also made two new pieces, a kitty doll and a kitty pillow. This time I changed up the pillow to give it a little more character. The little kitty looks bigger since it is in the forefront of the camera.

Today we went for a ride so I could get some more felt. After we drove around. the beach areas. With the snow and ice, we couldn't get into any parking areas and it seemed all the birds are further in the coves, since the inner areas are frozen.

We stopped at the boat launch and I went to the cove side, but it was covered in snow and ice.

I did catch a seagull as it was flying off with a clam.

After we stopped at the breach way and watched, as they piled more rocks along the sides. It is great for protecting the inner areas and the boating passageway, but sad to see the area we used to park out, disappear, along with the dunes. I do hope they clean it up and restore it, when they are done.

At home, I have been visited by a few hawks. This Red-shouldered Hawk was in my big tree, watching the birds at the feeder. Not as many critters out in the yard with the snow, so they start going after the birds.

A fun thing I found last week was an online app, called chatGPT. It is free to use but you can only do a few photos without paying. I hate taking pictures of myself, but this way is fun. since my hair was pulled back, it changed it to pure white. Bill and I are so fair, so it tends to wash out our hair in photos.

I hope you all had a nice week. We had plans with the kids, but as usual, they are sick. So, hopefully we can get out this weekend and enjoy a few nicer days. You know it has been cold, when 40 degrees seems warm.

Friday finishes!

This is the second time I have come in to post my blog and it wouldn't let me. I find the solution is to clear my cache and restart, then it works again. 

This week I worked on some more ideas for a pillow and a doll. I like trying different ones, to see what ones I like, before I make more. 

The first one is a kitty pillow. I need to reshape it better to make it a bit larger and better placement for the face. It looks wonky because of the angle. Today I redrew the face so I can use that for the next ones.

Another fun one, was a silly monster doll. I wanted to try the extra kid's fabric and it is fun, but a bit busy, so hard to see the details.

With the cold weather, we are home more than out, but we were able to get a decent day during the week, to spend time at the island. It was a beautiful day and I did a little glass collecting and bird watching. The birds were eating what they could find in the seaweed.

Today we got more snow, so another day in. Now it is freezing and windy, so not a good time to be outside. I hope everyone had a nice week and our weather gets warmer.

Friday Finish!

 

This week I got another idea, like I need any new ones. But this one is something I can do in my spare time, use up excess fabrics and do something good for others. I found some patterns for little teddy bears and made up a few to try them out. 

I read that police take stuffed toys to give to kids in crisis and also at shelters. They like small items that the kids can carry easily. I will have to check the local stations and find some shelters, to see what they take and what materials I can use. If anyone has experience with this and knows of places in the New England area, I would love your feedback. 

I have collected different ideas, so I will try some to see what works best and easiest to accomplish. Another idea is animal head pillows, something easy to make and something the kids can hold and use as a pillow in the shelters. The original pattern I found for the bears can be found at, Shiny Happy World.

I also finished punching my hearts, now I need to figure out what to do with them. I may make a garland with them.

We got enough snow last week, that I finally got to try out my new cross country skis. Bean loves running around with me, but also wants me to play ball, which is hard to do on skis.

We always get more activity at the feeder, not much to eat in the winter. This White-breasted Nuthatch decided to hang out with me on the porch.

I guess it felt safe with me there, so it took a little nap.

I also got peanuts, the Blue Jays love them and they are gone in minutes. 

Today we did some shopping before the mobs took over. We are expected to get snow starting Sunday afternoon, so we are all set when it hits. 

I hope everyone is staying safe this weekend, I know a lot of you will be hit with various storms as it comes through. 

Friday Finish!

 I hope this post finds you all well and not affected by all of the storms and fires that seem to be taking over the country. We have had some rain, lots of wind and sun, so I can't complain. I had another bunny to do, so I finished that, this week. I went with more yellows and found a yellow ribbon with glitter in an old box of supplies. This one is for me, or Alex who is always stealing the little dolls I make. Of course, Grandma can never say no to the boys. 

Last weekend we did our drive around the ocean areas. We went to one that has a boat launch and there area always birds around. In the photo montage you can see the launch at the bottom and the birds out in the water, that was only a few of them, there were hundreds. The rest were in the breachway, catching things that went out with the tide.

And here are some of the others, fishing in the breachway.

We also went to the island, always nice to walk a little on the beach and enjoy the wildlife and views.

Today it was windy, so we just went for a ride and a little walking on the beaches. We like to take Bean one day so he can have some fun. On days we stop in shops, he has to stay home. Today it was too windy to be out, too long, but the cove beach was a little calmer.

I hope you all have a nice weekend and can enjoy getting out and exploring your area. If you use Google maps, you might be surprised to find parks and sanctuaries that may be near your area.

Friday Finish!

This week I wanted something new to do but something that didn't take too much work. I decided to remake a bunny from my Bunny Buddies pattern. This time I went with bright and fun, using old scraps and floss from the ones I got for the kids to make bracelets. It is also a bit larger than the others, so a fun piece to decorate with. I actually made it for my sister, who is going through medical problems and I wanted to make her something happy to cheer her up. She had asked for some when I first made them, so I hope she likes this new version.

I added the background and the pink bow with photoshop AI. I still have to get out to the craft store to get some pink ribbon before I send it. I have a link to my patterns on the left side column.

Last week I wanted to go back to find the elusive rare bird. We didn't see it, but on the way back out, we saw a bunch of cars and cameras pointing toward the field. It took me awhile to find it, but finally with the help of others, I was able to catch it in the back field. This is a Northern Lapwing, usually found in Europe and Asia. 

We also spent time at the beach, where Bean can enjoy some play time and I can enjoy the views and birding.

Lots of Common Eiders this year.

At home, more birds are leaving and our regulars will be returning. I seem to have a new visitor, a Red Squirrel. This one is a new one, it is living in the neighbors yard and I usually spot two of them, running around the wood piles.

I am still unable to walk much. Today it was shopping in my light hikers but it killed my foot, so no walking on the beach. We have beautiful weather this weekend, so I hate that we can't get out for hikes. With the cooler temps it is perfect to be in the woods and bug free. I hope everyone is doing well with the bad weather conditions that come through. 

Weekend Wanderings!

We had a nice weekend, though a bit cool for long walks. One thing I love to do is shop at the antique  thrifts and Saturday was a good day for the barn and a visit to Chepatchet which has several antique stores and a primitive store.

With all that shopping, I didn't get much, but I treated myself to an angel valentine doll. This one hangs on the wall, but I put her on the table for the photo. She looks good, either way so once I get more decorating and cleaning done, I may give her a space of her own. For now we are keeping the main wall free of decorations so maybe, just maybe my husband will clean it up and get it repainted so I can put up my easter decorations.

I also found a plain wooden boat for a dollar, I will sand all the varnish off and remake it into something for my beach room, maybe add some fabric sails.

When we were in town, I saw a step falls but it was impossible to get a photo from the right angle, too much brush and slopes. I did see a small falls on the other side and I loved how the water at the top was smooth as glass but whorling so that the shadows looked like an art painting.

On Sunday we got a late start and headed to Woodstock Ct, for some more shopping and to visit Putnam for some photos. We always try and take a different route to find new sights and on this trip we stopped at a mill. It looks like this one is still operational.

In Putnam we found a parking lot across from the falls, so we took a walk over and I enjoyed watching the falls. With the snow and then rain, they were running, full force. It was too cold for me, to take a walk along the river, so we went back across the street to check out an antique store.

Well, it was not a store, it was an antique mall, four floors of booths and in areas, whole rooms with glass cabinets, filled with goodies. It was so overwhelming, I don't think I saw half of the things, lol. And so big, we spent hours just walking and looking. I saw a lot of nice things, but prices that seemed to be inflated compared to what I have bought. It is well worth a visit if you are in the Putnam area, they do have a lot and there are other stores in the area, as well as small shops and restaurants.

Since we spent so long in the store, I decided that I wasn't up to going up to Woodstock and doing more shoppng. But, I did realize that we were were about an hour away from sunset and if we headed back down to the ocean, we could just make it, lol, yes, we drove an hour back down and went to Barn Island, since it was the straightest point from where we were.

It was a beautiful place to enjoy the sunset, but no place to stand, so we had to go out on the marshy point and walk carefully along the thick tufts to stay out of the muck. The sunset is always the most stunning when it falls below the horizon and a beautiful way to end the day. I hope you all had a wonderful weekend, filled with your own adventures.

Friday Finishes!

This week I wanted to try something new, or something old, since I have had the pattern for years. The pattern was a freebie from Create and Decorate and is a design by Denise White of The Cat's Pajamas.

It was the pattern and no directions but I never read them anyways, lol. I changed it a bit and made some mistakes but she is so goofy, she makes me smile. I forgot to cut the red ticking to make the stripes go across for one thing. Then I decided to make stockings and no shoes, but didn't like it, so I tried coloring it in with a sharpie, takes too much time and you need more than one coat, so I decided to paint them on. That was fine, but I didn't realize that I grabbed the black enamel paint, duh. I actually like how it looks, a bit thicker and a bit more shine so great for shoes, but not for washing off.

Too windy to get an outside photo, the material for her face and arms is an old muslin that I stained, beat up, washed in dirt, among other things, so it is really grungy, a bit of brown and some green. The flash washed it out. I made the hat and boat by using an online tutorial and online american backgrounds that I printed out on laid paper. Laid paper is a nicer paper with enough weight to keep it stiffer, but not too stiff.  The hair was a thick binding yarn that I attached with a thin piece of wool to tie it down, then I unravelled the yarn to get thinner locks.

She was fun and fast to make, I tried different things and see things that I can improve on, so maybe I will try some more and change them up.

Then I finished the next block in Buttermilk Basin's BOM, the  Second letter T with the snowballs. I got some carrot buttons, they are fun to use on pieces like this and on the snowman pillows, guess I need to get more.

Here is what I have so far, with the letter T at the end.

At the last minute, as usual, Bill has to go on a trip, the day after our planned vacation. It would be too much to spend the week away and then come home and have him leave the next day, there are some things I can't do and Billy is going away too, so easier to stay home and get things done before he leaves. There is nothing going on at work for now, so Bill is taking the next two weeks off, so hopefully we can do some exploring and have some fun during the weekdays with no crowds.

Monday Finishes from Freebies!

There are so many wonderful artists on the internet who share their talents with us, and there is something for everyone. I actually finished two projects but the bunny was finished today.

The bunny pattern is a freebie offered on Pattern Mart. There are a variety of projects on their site for free and thousands of patterns from different artists. Be sure to sign up for their newsletter, they send one out, once a week and also have surveys that offer free patterns, as well.

This guy is a creation by Catnap Primitives. He is one piece, except for the ears, so he was easy to put together and fun to change up by using what I had. I have a hard time focusing on instructions, usually after a couple sentences I get lost, so I just look them over and then cut out the pieces and put them together;) Check out her other patterns, lots of wonderful prims and most are under five dollars.

I stitched areas on the ears to get the bunching and then I inserted a wire to keep them upright. I basically messed with them, until I got the look I want;) I hope you like him, he makes me smile. I moved him and didn't realize his carrots are crooked. I tacked them on to the hands, so they do move.

My second project was to get my Buttermilk Basins BOM done. I love the first design and can't wait to see the next one. This is going to be a fun BOM and you will have a finished quilt for next Christmas, don't forget to get your copy of the first block.

I am using Primitive Gatherings line of seasonal fabric for the backgrounds. The wool I use is a mix of new and over dyed thrift wool. I realized I forgot to add the fringe on the scarf and the star on the snowman, so I will add those on.

I hope everyone got to work on projects this weekend. Snowstorms have their benefits.

Monday Finish!

Yes, I actually finished something and hopefully I can get more done this season. I had big plans for Christmas, for myself and gifts, but I know I cannot do too much without overwhelming myself, so I will do what I can and not stress myself out. I still do not know what we will do for the holidays, it is going to be hard on us this year, so maybe a day with the kids and then take off for a mini vacation.

I enjoy making gifts and gifts that have meaning and inspirational sayings. This design is by Homeberries and it was fun making it and I like how it turned out. I used added some lavender with the stuffing.

This weekend I got to enjoy some time with Nicholas, while his Dad went door shopping with Grandpa. The first thing he does is, go in my bedroom and points at the recorder, he loves to play it. I bought one to practice on and then got a wooden flute, so we play and march around the house.

He is talking a lot more but his mom also talks in her native Sabhan, so it is hard to tell if he is jabbering or talking, sometimes;) He has picked up a new saying, Oh Goodness, too cute when he says it and now he seems to be a ladies man. My son took him to a party and it seems he picked up, not one, but two and they happen to be twins.

He is loving all the attention.

And here he seems to be saying, enough photos, get me outta here! I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend.

Working on Giveaway!

This week I started a new punch needle design, adapted from an antique rug. I am keeping it simple and somewhat true to the original for basic colors.

Since I will have a new pattern, hopefully by Friday, I will have a giveaway of one of my epatterns. It can be the new one or any of the epatterns on my ecrater site. I will pick a name on Friday and announce the winner on that posting.

Can you guess what might be in the design?

Today was cleaning day and my bed. The kitties like to sleep on my bed and after a week, I get tired of inhaling cat hairs. I shut the door so they can't get it dirty before i got to sleep and Moki found another favorite place to sleep. My kitty dolls make great pillows.

Then he decided to sleep on the dog's blanket. Bean let him enjoy it for awhile but it didn't take long for him to get up and give Moki, the please play with me look. Bean still doesn't understand that kitties do not throw balls. Though mine do steal his and roll them down to the cellar.

Free Valentines and Projects!

This week I wanted to make something to add to my tree, but I am limited on time and wanted something quick and easy. I searched the web and found a wonderful place with free printables that you can use on a tree or just to decorate. I was also looking at her vintage cards that you can stand on a shelf, might print those out, this weekend.

I printed my designs out on card stock so they would be stiff enough to hang and the aged card stock gives the prints, more of an aged look, instead of using white.

I also printed out some by accident with regular paper, since I forgot to put a piece of card stock in. I used the paper hearts for the back of my hearts and just used a stick glue to put them together. I used a piece of black floss and made a hanger by threading it through the middle. Simple project to do while you watch tv.

I changed my kitty doll with the one dressed in red, to match the setting, better.

My camera was acting up again so I took a photo without the flash. It yellowed the photo, but the valentines are that color in person. I reduced the sizes of the hearts and the envelope to fit my tree. I used the hearts with flowers and the one with writing on it. You can find the designs for these and a lot more at Wings of Whimsy.

Another thing I wanted to try was, dying velvet. I read about dying velvet online and it all depends on what type  you have. I have no idea what type I had, but I assumed it was not natural fibers and I was right, it took the Rit Dye. The bad thing was, I used brown and without thinking, put the red piece in with the others, so the dye bath turned reddish brown.

The original colors I used were, bright red, tan and white. The red got darker and has a nicer mottled look, the tan turned browner and the white is a pinkish brown. Next time I will have to try it without the red. I like how it comes out, after washing and drying, gives it a nice aged look.

And I am also working on a new project. I wanted something simple that I could use for Valentines and spring and decided to use a pattern by Quilts by Cheri, called Live Simply. This is one of  her older patterns and there is a fourth block, but I decided to do three and make a longer piece for my wall. Once I finish the stitchery, I can put them together.

My camera flash decided to go wonky and for some reason when I take a shot, facing down, my lens starts moving on its own, so I guess it needs to go to a shop and see what is wrong and maybe get a good cleaning.

I am also using washable, one sided, fusible to see how I like it. I will talk more about what I do and don't like, after I finish the piece and my brain is working again;) I hope everyone has a good weekend.

My New Friend!

Last week I was the lucky winner of one of Pam's wonderful creations. Some of you know her as Soft in the Head. I have always loved visiting Pam's blog to see what new creations she comes up with each week. She has a wonderful way with creating unique, one of a kind characters and each one has unique details and acessories.

You can see how much everyone love's her creations by the fact that her pieces sell out, the minute she puts them onto her selling sites. I have always wanted one of her pieces and I was so excited that I actually won one and I just love this guy.

His name is Posthumous PODD and he looks wonderful with my fall decor. He even has his own death certificate, morbidly fun. I decided to put him up on a shelve so my kitties don't try to eat his hair, lol.

No riding or walking this weekend, still sore and then Bill got sick from eating bad food. This is when I am happy that I can't eat food like that;) Today I made up some coloring book stitcheries, so they should be done in a few days.

Be sure to visit, Soft in the Head, her blog is very inspirational and she also sells patterns, so you can make your own.

Liberty Lady!

I am still working on the baby quilt but almost done with the main quilting, then I will do the border. When I am working on a larger project, I like to do small things to take a break and have something I can finish quickly and there are a lot of fun, free patterns on the internet.

One place that has wonderful patterns is Bird in the Hand Primitives. Robin has wonderful free patterns that you can use in stitchery, punch needle or rug hooking. I have also done some in fabric as mini quilts, so something for everyone.

I made mine as a mini doll pillow, so I could add it to my americana setting. I kept it simple and sprayed  it with walnut spray to prim it up.

Today I found another free pattern that would be fun to do for next month and easy enough to do in a day. You can find it at Simply Put Plus. I think it would be fun in wool too, great item to make for your July fourth party.

This week I also checked out Bloglovin' and Feedly. I found Bloglovin to be the better of the two, it has a nicer layout and automatically sends a daily feed to my mailbox. Both are easy to set up, just a simple click to transfer your blogs.

Weekend Wanderings!

Yesterday was a cold day and we got snow and rain, so it was a good day to go shopping. I found a new store that I wanted to check out and had fun walking around the rooms, at least three times. The store is called Carol's Country Corner and she carries primitive and country goods. You could walk around a second time and see things you missed the first time, so a fun activity for a rainy day. There were a lot of wonderful prims and some antiques and I took some photos, but most came out bad or blurry. This was one of my favorite displays, wouldn't this set up, be fun in a corner of the house.

Here are some of the goodies I got, the sheep and the spool candle will go with a sewing display, that I will be doing in my sewing room. Bill bought the tin candle and striped candle, he had to have it, lol. He is worse than I am, he went so far as to pull that garland off a tree, since it was the last one. He said he liked it, think I should leave him in the car, next time;)

Today was beautiful, a bit cloudy at times and a bit of drizzle, but the rain stayed away and it was a lot warmer. We wanted to check out the area at Point Judith, where there is the lighthouse and fishing area with the breakers. This is what we found at the fishing area. The area was deteriorating from some recent storms and hurricane Sandy did a lot more damage. This is the parking lot now, before it went to the sign, way in the back of the photo. Half of the old parking area, is gone.

We also went to Black Rock. The high cliffs were fine, but as we walked, we realized all the bush was gone. Then we went onto the beach and saw why, the storm came up and ripped away at the land and took half of it, back into the sea and left more piles of rocks on the beach and the pathways.

There was a lot of damage further up and areas where the path got taken down, but it is still a beautiful place to walk and enjoy the views. I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend.